Industrial Microbiology

Name

Sushila Maharjan, PhD

Designation

Head

Email

sushila@ribb.org.np

Speciality

Biochemistry, Metabolic Engineering, Vaccine Delivery

Description

All microorganisms on the earth adapt to grow and are found in every environmental niche. Organisms inhabiting nutrient-poor niches uses many different types of metabolism as a result produces many important hydrolytic enzymes and secondary metabolites with significant biological activities. Interestingly, scientists are harnessing microbes metabolisms and putting them in work. Cultured soil microbes provide many important drugs including antibiotics, the immunosuppressive drug and the anticancer agents. Soil microbes are still the useful way to discover new biologically active agents. Certain bacteria, like actinomycetes, produce antibiotics and it accounts for total 60-70% of total antibiotics produced till date.
Isolation and molecular identification of actinomycetes and other virulent strains from higher altitude region of Nepal are under progress in the department. Characterization of compounds like antibiotics, toxins from these specie and identification of pharmaceutically important compounds for drug development are areas of research in future.